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Blackened Cottage
Blackened Cottage is a psychological thriller with a twist and a different approach to style as it is written in letters, diary entries and narrative.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 25, 2016
What drew me to this book was the format that it is was written in. The story is told in a series of diary entries, letters and narrative. Sometimes I like to read this style of novel as its breaks up the book in different ways, and gives you different perspectives.
Blackened Cottage is a type of psychological thriller, suspense/horror set in Victorian times with a Gothic feel. It's main character Lisbeth is a young woman who seems to be haunted by her past in which she cannot really remember. Lisbeth lives with her father and brother who she looks after. All is not what it seems in their little Blackened Cottage, Lisbeth is being kept captive by her deranged father.
When her brother is sent away to a school in London, Lisbeth is determined to go and find him. This means escaping and going on the run. She is chased by her father and his strange friend all the way to London. There are many twists and turns along the way with a great ending I never expected!
Blackened Cottage is beautifully written in a dark, grim, and Gothic way. Perfect for thriller fans who like that slightly different creepy feel in a book.
I have given Blackened Cottage by A.E. Richards 4 out of 5 stars.
To read more find me at http://www.rachelbustin.com
Blackened Cottage is a type of psychological thriller, suspense/horror set in Victorian times with a Gothic feel. It's main character Lisbeth is a young woman who seems to be haunted by her past in which she cannot really remember. Lisbeth lives with her father and brother who she looks after. All is not what it seems in their little Blackened Cottage, Lisbeth is being kept captive by her deranged father.
When her brother is sent away to a school in London, Lisbeth is determined to go and find him. This means escaping and going on the run. She is chased by her father and his strange friend all the way to London. There are many twists and turns along the way with a great ending I never expected!
Blackened Cottage is beautifully written in a dark, grim, and Gothic way. Perfect for thriller fans who like that slightly different creepy feel in a book.
I have given Blackened Cottage by A.E. Richards 4 out of 5 stars.
To read more find me at http://www.rachelbustin.com
May 27, 2022
I found this novel in the depths of my Kindle and thought I would give it a go. I hadn’t read the blurb so had no idea what to expect.
Lisbeth lives in the “blackened cottage” with Eddie, her younger brother. They live in fear of their father, Charles, a formidable figure. There is something creepy about the cottage and Lisbeth escapes with Charles and his friend hot on her heels.
All is not as it seems and the story unfolds a little differently to how you may expect. I did find it a little predictable and slow at points, and got a little bored about halfway through.
I liked the format of this book, some parts were diary entries and others were letters. The story is mostly told from Lisbeth’s point of view, but some parts are from Charles’ point of view.
Historical fiction isn’t my usual genre, however I found the settings quite well described. The characters were well done, even though I didn’t really warm to any of them.
Overall, the book was OK but a bit slow paced for me.
2.5 stars rounded to 3.
Lisbeth lives in the “blackened cottage” with Eddie, her younger brother. They live in fear of their father, Charles, a formidable figure. There is something creepy about the cottage and Lisbeth escapes with Charles and his friend hot on her heels.
All is not as it seems and the story unfolds a little differently to how you may expect. I did find it a little predictable and slow at points, and got a little bored about halfway through.
I liked the format of this book, some parts were diary entries and others were letters. The story is mostly told from Lisbeth’s point of view, but some parts are from Charles’ point of view.
Historical fiction isn’t my usual genre, however I found the settings quite well described. The characters were well done, even though I didn’t really warm to any of them.
Overall, the book was OK but a bit slow paced for me.
2.5 stars rounded to 3.
March 1, 2021
I really enjoyed the way that this story was told. I’d have to call this a page turner because I really wanted to find out the real story behind Lisbeth. Like a whodunnit, I kept trying guess but the twist at the end helped to keep this book from being a straightforward read
March 29, 2021
Not what I expected, a few good twists and turns. Worth a read.
November 14, 2012
I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for a review. This review also appears at The New Podler Review of Books.
A young woman is haunted by a past she can't remember. She feels threatened by her father and his lascivious friend. In her efforts to elude the pair and track down her brother, a third man hunts her for his own depredations.
Set in England in 1875, the story has a definite Gothic feel to it. Richards is adept at illustrating the scene. The "Blackened Cottage" where Lisbeth, our protagonist, lives evokes fear with every creaking floorboard. The air she breathes threatens to smother her in gloom.
Richards doesn't hold back with her descriptive narrative. Every adversity that Lisbeth faces is given its due in highly detailed prose. She gets credit for her inventive metaphors. Here are three brief selections that jumped out at me:
While I believe the intent was to maintain tension, I found a lot of passages that repeated character intentions and internal monologues. The third man's confessions and the father's diary entries say much of the same thing with different wording. Lisbeth dwells on her fate at the hands of one man or another and revisits her revulsion with each encounter.
As this is "a psychological thriller with a twist", you'll have to look hard to find the clues that Richards gives the reader. Other than one obvious clue, they're hard to find and Richards throws a couple red herrings at the reader to mislead us. Once the truth was revealed, I went back and re-read some sections from objective voices. I have to say that Richards pushed the limit here. Even with the clarity afforded by the reveal, there are certain sentences which cross the line. I can't say anything more without spoiling it.
As for the technicals, there were many dialogue punctuation errors, primarily involving commas. Spelling typos were minimal. There was also one historical inaccuracy. At one point, Lisbeth talks about a distance in meters, but the metric system hadn't been adopted outside of the scientific community in England at the time. However, Richards used miles to show the distance between towns. I think most readers will overlook these things.
In summary, Blackened Cottage is a solid debut (3.5 stars) from A.E. Richards. Her descriptive narrative underscores her attention to detail, helping readers get lost in the dreary winter of 19th century England. Characters are vivid too. While the red herrings thrown at the reader are the size of bluefin tuna, Richards holds true to the plot and her protagonist. Fans of psychological thrillers who don't mind a trip back to the 19th century, or Victorian era historical romance readers looking for something different, will enjoy this book.
A young woman is haunted by a past she can't remember. She feels threatened by her father and his lascivious friend. In her efforts to elude the pair and track down her brother, a third man hunts her for his own depredations.
Set in England in 1875, the story has a definite Gothic feel to it. Richards is adept at illustrating the scene. The "Blackened Cottage" where Lisbeth, our protagonist, lives evokes fear with every creaking floorboard. The air she breathes threatens to smother her in gloom.
Richards doesn't hold back with her descriptive narrative. Every adversity that Lisbeth faces is given its due in highly detailed prose. She gets credit for her inventive metaphors. Here are three brief selections that jumped out at me:
There is no response but the wind’s drunken slur.The story is primarily told from Lisbeth's point of view. Not only does she provide the narrative but we also get to read her diary entries and letters to her absent mother, who left the family for reasons unknown (part of Lisbeth's memory loss). To add to the drama, Richards also offers diary entries from the father and wicked confessions from the third man. By doing so, Richards helps the reader bond with Lisbeth and sympathize with her plight. There really are men after her.
His nails scrape my skull like a wolf scraping soil for bones.
I whisper with the breath of a mosquito's wings...
While I believe the intent was to maintain tension, I found a lot of passages that repeated character intentions and internal monologues. The third man's confessions and the father's diary entries say much of the same thing with different wording. Lisbeth dwells on her fate at the hands of one man or another and revisits her revulsion with each encounter.
As this is "a psychological thriller with a twist", you'll have to look hard to find the clues that Richards gives the reader. Other than one obvious clue, they're hard to find and Richards throws a couple red herrings at the reader to mislead us. Once the truth was revealed, I went back and re-read some sections from objective voices. I have to say that Richards pushed the limit here. Even with the clarity afforded by the reveal, there are certain sentences which cross the line. I can't say anything more without spoiling it.
As for the technicals, there were many dialogue punctuation errors, primarily involving commas. Spelling typos were minimal. There was also one historical inaccuracy. At one point, Lisbeth talks about a distance in meters, but the metric system hadn't been adopted outside of the scientific community in England at the time. However, Richards used miles to show the distance between towns. I think most readers will overlook these things.
In summary, Blackened Cottage is a solid debut (3.5 stars) from A.E. Richards. Her descriptive narrative underscores her attention to detail, helping readers get lost in the dreary winter of 19th century England. Characters are vivid too. While the red herrings thrown at the reader are the size of bluefin tuna, Richards holds true to the plot and her protagonist. Fans of psychological thrillers who don't mind a trip back to the 19th century, or Victorian era historical romance readers looking for something different, will enjoy this book.
October 25, 2012
This interesting psychological thriller has been quite a surprise. Both for the story and for the format chosen. This book includes narration, letters, and diary entries, which add to the suspense and development of the story. The story of a woman who cannot recollect certain events from the past and who cannot figure out why she is feeling as if she is a different person. Her relationship with the people who surround her is a strange one, due to her fears and uncertainties.
Lisbeth lives in Blackened Cottage with her father and her brother Eddie. Her relationship with her father is not a good one, since it seems that he is a violent and unstable man. She longs to escape from the cottage, and she will find a friend in the forest. However, is everything what it seems to be? Can we be sure of what the true events are? Lisbeth will have to live through an ordeal to discover the truth, and the journey is not going to be an easy one.
This book is a very good example of how a brilliant character development can make of a book an amazing read. The many different characters, and the different voices and points of views, all add to the plot, revealing things at the right time, making you read and read to discover the truth. I especially loved the fact that you cannot be sure of who has evil intentions, since all of the characters seem to be up to something, something that won't be revealed until it is the right moment to do so. This is brilliant.
This story, which also incorporates some horror elements, will keep you hooked from the very beginning. Some of the descriptions, which are not too lengthy or unnecessary, are so detailed that you cannot help it but feel the same as the protagonist. It really made me shiver sometimes, giving me goose bumps.
I definitely recommend this book. I removed one star, though, because I found a diary entry and a letter that seemed to be misplaced. A formatting mistake? But apart from that, this book is sheer genius. Well done!
Lisbeth lives in Blackened Cottage with her father and her brother Eddie. Her relationship with her father is not a good one, since it seems that he is a violent and unstable man. She longs to escape from the cottage, and she will find a friend in the forest. However, is everything what it seems to be? Can we be sure of what the true events are? Lisbeth will have to live through an ordeal to discover the truth, and the journey is not going to be an easy one.
This book is a very good example of how a brilliant character development can make of a book an amazing read. The many different characters, and the different voices and points of views, all add to the plot, revealing things at the right time, making you read and read to discover the truth. I especially loved the fact that you cannot be sure of who has evil intentions, since all of the characters seem to be up to something, something that won't be revealed until it is the right moment to do so. This is brilliant.
This story, which also incorporates some horror elements, will keep you hooked from the very beginning. Some of the descriptions, which are not too lengthy or unnecessary, are so detailed that you cannot help it but feel the same as the protagonist. It really made me shiver sometimes, giving me goose bumps.
I definitely recommend this book. I removed one star, though, because I found a diary entry and a letter that seemed to be misplaced. A formatting mistake? But apart from that, this book is sheer genius. Well done!
October 31, 2012
Despite being written exclusively in grand, standard English, had Blackened Cottage been constructed for the world of moving images, its neighbours would be the likes of Secret Window and Shutter Island rather than Downton Abbey. A.E. Richards’ gothic tale of peril plants subtle seeds of veiled but persistent doubt regarding the legitimacy of certain plot points, without allowing them to be dwelled upon alone for extended periods. For with the survival of innocence at stake in a beautifully flowing, darkness-enveloped pursuit of freedom, the main emphasis is placed not on the murky secrets of the past, but on the absorbingly terrifying reality of the present. It’s this immersion that makes Blackened Cottage such a winner – the unwavering atmosphere that engulfs the narrative. It’s a tremendous example of how to maintain the interest of your audience without giving too much away, and a must read for fans of psychological horror stories.
December 6, 2012
Think of the coldly gripping Gothic horror of Edgar Allan Poe; think of the excitement of a modern chase movie; now combine the two and you have a feel for Blackened Cottage. Images of blood and souls in torment abound as the stage is set in Victorian England. Questions kept forming as I tried to find a possible explanation for what was occurring. The questions kept coming as the book maintained its horror theme, but moved into an exciting chase thriller. Who are the real villains? Who is real and who is not? The author drops subtle clues along the way that the careful reader will pick up.
I developed a theory - and the author proved me right. But there was no time for self-congratulation as the story swept me off around more twists and turns until the chase concluded.
This is a very well plotted and very well written book that I strongly recommend - as long as you think your nerves can take the strain.
I developed a theory - and the author proved me right. But there was no time for self-congratulation as the story swept me off around more twists and turns until the chase concluded.
This is a very well plotted and very well written book that I strongly recommend - as long as you think your nerves can take the strain.
January 25, 2013
All in all I really enjoyed this book. It's starts out a bit slow, but as a reader I was still interested in what exactly was going with Lisbeth in the blackened cottage with her little brother and father. You don't really know what is wrong with her father and so many questions that keep you reading. About halfway through the pace really picks up and all the twists and turns keep you fighting for Lisbeth and wanting to know what is going on.
If you like suspense, you'll probably like this book.
If you like suspense, you'll probably like this book.
October 8, 2012
Dread and horror permeate this book, told through letters and diary entries. Unfortunately the author must have kept her thesaurus too close at hand because the flow is spoiled by self conscious word choice. ("Peat explored the air." Seriously?). My assumption is that she uses an antiquated style for atmosphere.
That said, she did create a nice dark atmosphere, suspenseful plot and ultimately interesting characters.
That said, she did create a nice dark atmosphere, suspenseful plot and ultimately interesting characters.
June 7, 2013
Difficult to judge this one. It started at 'high volume' Victorian gothic pastiche and I wondered where on earth it was going to go from there. But it did manage to sustain my interest despite the random grammar and vocab - the 'it's amazing' and 'okay' didn't quite ring true - and I was concerned that the Victorian household was functioning without any servants. Very much a first novel, I felt, and the prose was considerably overwrought at times, but still it had me reading to the end.
January 26, 2013
I wasn't certain that I cared much for the writing style when I initially started this book, but it did seem to work. This is an excellent psychological thriller, slightly dark in the way that it develops. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it difficult to put down, and has made it onto my list of books that I would recommend
September 28, 2012
Simply outstanding. A.E. Richards has delivered a great piece of art. Her story telling is like nothing I have read. Easily best book I have read this year. Look forward to many more great works for this author.
December 2, 2012
This is a wonderful debut! I look forward to seeing more from Abby, she's truly gifted! To read my full review, please checkout my blog post! http://andthentherewasink.wordpress.c... This entire novel left me breathless, I couldn't put it down!
October 27, 2012
Very dark but nether the less a good & interesting read. I enjoyed the style of this book & found it hard to put down. Hopefully that entices me into reading more from this author :)
October 17, 2012
I enjoyed reading this book. I had my suspicions on what was happening and I was correct. Then to throw in a serial killer... The time frame was not my usual reading, but was very intertaining.
May 23, 2016
Very dark but oh so beautiful, writing as well as format.
July 2, 2013
Review to follow.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews